Despite Time and Space
by WishingAwayReality
Summary: Managing to survive the destruction of their ship, Nero and his remaining crew are forced to face the difficulties of an unknown planet. Among the survivors is Nero's brother-in-law. With Nero retreating into himself and seemingly having given up, the crew is left to wonder if he'll lead them to survival or if they'll have to do it alone. Eventual M/M Nero x OC.


A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for stopping by to read my fic. :) I'm not so good at consistently updating but I am trying to get better; I have a super busy life but I don't like to give up on projects either. That being said, I am nervous to have multiple fics at once but I can't stop the ideas so I want to try and get them out. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter One

All Telek could remember was the crumbling and panic around him. Everyone in the control room heard Nero's last transmission to the _USS Enterprise_ , his final words before the red matter began their destruction. Somehow—call it instincts, call it fear, call it whatever—he and a handful of others managed to pull Nero and themselves to escape pods and get away. Somehow, the Federation Starship didn't fire on them and kill them all. Somehow, they actually managed to land on another planet, and remain alone for several days.

It all seemed like an amazing stroke of luck, but Telek realized how foolish a thought that was considering everything else they had been through. They lost everything—their planet, their families, their friends, their ship—and now they just waited for death to take them on this forsaken red planet. The only one seemingly brave enough to embrace the end was their leader, Nero, who hadn't spoken in several days.

None of them were sure if he had taken another vow of silence or if he just stopped caring, but they somehow elected Telek to try and coax the man into taking charge again. Someone else was in charge for now, and Telek sat next to Nero.

Telek dug idly in the dirt with an entirely too smooth pebble. He leaned forward, shoulders hunched over, his mind racing at a way to start conversation. The only reason they elected him to be the man to talk to Nero is because they were brother-in-laws. Aside from family and being on the same mining ship as one another, they really had nothing in common, and Telek had never been the most socially graceful.

"We need you," he spouted. He passed a quick glance to Nero, who didn't seem to acknowledge that anything was said. Telek's shoulders hunched over further. He thought of his sister, the niece or nephew that he would never meet, and then glanced to Nero again. He remembered the man before the tattoos, before the grief twisted him into what he was now. Even then, he never knew what to say. He took a deep breath and let it out in a sharp exhale before deciding on probably the riskiest thing he had ever decided to speak on; his mind. "Why were you going to throw it all away?" he asked.

Nero passed him a sideways glance before looking forward again. No response. "You know dying wouldn't change anything, right? I mean… maybe we'd see them again but maybe not. How does that all work with the time change?"

Nero provided one shake of his head. It was up to Telek to decide what it meant, and he took it as an answer of 'I don't know'. Telek flicked the rock away, watching it skip and slide along the dirt. "She was my sister, you know," he muttered. His knees pulled up to his chest and he wrapped his arms around them. "It may be a different connection from love, but I think the scar is just as deep. And maybe… maybe I should have been more brotherly and supportive after everything. I don't know. But you're not dead. And we're technically family. So…" He paused. There was no 'so'. "Say something."

Nero passed a glance to his brother-in-law. The man's dark eyes always held an innocence in them that infuriated Nero as of late. He looked naïve, almost untouched by everything that had happened up to this point. Even when they were stuck in the Klingon prison, he looked only outwardly touched.

"Fine, Nero," Telek muttered, growing impatient at the waste of time. "You can do whatever you like. The rest of us will figure out how to survive." He knew in his heart he should act more brotherly, more like the only family Nero had left, but he couldn't just sit there waiting for the man to say something. He kicked at the dirt as he walked, keeping his head and his gaze down. This planet made him uncomfortable, not just for the perfectly clear sky and hot rays of the nearby sun, but also for the dry ground and lack of any water source visible. It definitely didn't remind him of home.

"Any luck?" a Romulan named Nelus asked. Telek looked up at the other man's words before shaking his head. He passed a quick glance to Nero and then back. At first, Telek thought that maybe Nero hadn't come out physically unscathed from the ship; perhaps he had taken a hit somewhere and so didn't feel well. They already confirmed that wasn't the case. "Do you think he's given up?" Nelus asked. Telek shrugged.

"Maybe," he muttered. He glanced down at the reddish dirt beneath them. "I'll try again after we find some food and water." Nelus let out a heavy sigh and crossed his arms. The man scanned the horizon with his eyes. Jagged rock formations jutted out of the landscape, pointing into the air like the teeth of a monster. He had no idea which planet they managed to land on, which worried them all somewhat. Few weapons managed to come along with them and the red matter consumed any possible debris to help them out.

The only shelter they had were the few escape pods that survived.

They were at the mercy of this foreign planet and whatever was out there waiting for them, while their leader sat in the dirt in silence.


End file.
